Page 41 of Tell Me What You Want, Or Leave Me

When it’s over, we race to the bathroom, which is really a gossip center, and I answer every single one of her questions. We talk and talk and talk. We go up to dance again, and then we’re thirsty and head straight to the bar to get drinks.

“Hello, beautiful,” a voice says in my ear as a pair of hands grab me by the waist.

I know that voice...

I quickly turn around and see David Guepardo, my friend from the motocross meets. He gives me a couple of kisses and hugs me. I’m sure Eric wouldn’t like the way he’s holding me, so I wiggle away from him.

“How are you? What are you doing around these parts?”

David is hot by any measure, and he looks my body up and down and takes another step toward me that leaves me smack against the bar.

“I just got in yesterday,” he says. “And I came out to see if I could find you.”

Rocío looks over at me. I look back, but before she can say anything, I see my German, my Iceman, looking furious behind David.

“Could you please step back so my wife can breathe?” he hisses.

David turns around.

“You again,” he says before I have a chance to interrupt him. “Look, my friend, she’s not your wife, and, from what I can see, never will be. So, why don’t you take a little stroll and leave us in peace?”

Oh Mother of God, the Iceman’s face. His nostrils are flaring.

“David,” I say, “you have to—”

But I don’t get to finish. Eric grabs him by the arm with his giant hands and pulls him away from me.

“You’re the one who’s going to take a little stroll,” he says, inches from his face. “If you ever get that close to my wife again, you’re going to have a problem with me, do you understand?”

David freezes. I raise my hand to show him my wedding ring.

“David, Eric is my husband. We’re married.”

David’s face completely transforms. Deep down, he’s a good guy, and he raises his hands in surrender.

“I’m so sorry, dude. I thought everything was the same as last time.”

Eric’s face relaxes. His anger dissipates. He takes me by the hand and pulls me to him as we exit.

“Well, now you know,” he says. “Try not to make the same mistake twice.”

Rocío looks at me from the bar, and I smile at her as Eric and I walk away. Although I don’t approve of his jealousy, I have to admit this possessive little episode really turned me on. He’s so sexy when he looks at me like that.

We leave the place without saying another word and suddenly run into Fernando. We both grin.

He’s holding hands with the same lovely girl he brought to my wedding in Germany, and, as we come close, Eric lets me go, and Fernando and I hug tightly.

“Hi there, Jerez girl.”

He reaches over to shake Eric’s hand. “How’s it going?”

“Really well, buddy, really well.”

They understand each other now. After everything that went down between the three of us, we’ve managed to normalize our relationships and be friends. I love that. Fernando is one of the most wonderful people I know, and I’m happy to see he and Eric are finally getting along.

We greet his girlfriend, whose name is Aurora, and go have a drink together, the four of us.

After a while, Fernando takes a quick look at his watch. “We have to go. We’re meeting some friends.”

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